The First Step to Saving a Small Community or Rural Hospital

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It starts with community commitment. It starts with the men and women, mothers and fathers, and grandparents living within a community. If a community does not support its local hospital, there is very little chance the hospital will survive when it begins to struggle; and every hospital will struggle at some point. Community support is the first step to saving a local hospital.

The reason community support is critical is due to public perception and its impact on a hospital’s ability to market itself and attract patients and healthcare professionals.

In business, customer perception becomes reality. When customers believe in a brand, they support the brand. When customers lose faith in a brand, the company fails.

In business, customer perception becomes reality. When customers believe in a brand, they support the brand. When customers lose faith in a brand, the company fails. A hospital is no different than a business. Without the faith and belief of the community, hospitals will fail.

The faith and commitment of a community is particularly important for struggling hospitals. Cost cutting alone cannot save a struggling hospital. Long-term viability depends upon growth. Hospitals must continually find ways to grow by introducing new services, cutting services the community no longer needs, optimizing staff levels, and attracting top talent. All of which means change. Hospitals must change in order to evolve and grow.

Hospitals must change in order to evolve and grow. It is this change that makes or breaks a hospital.

It is this change that makes or breaks a hospital. When a hospital recognizes the need to change, it is vulnerable to public opinion. If the community accepts the change and supports the change, a positive attitude builds, which helps the hospital attract more patients, recruit new physicians and healthcare professionals, and secure the funding it needs to improve facilities.

When a community reacts negatively towards change, the inverse occurs. Public sediment sours, negative press dominates the newspaper, and patient levels begin to decline. Without patients, hospitals die. Gaining the support of the community is perhaps the most important step when it comes to turning around a struggling hospital.

NewLight Healthcare has a track record for successfully turning around struggling hospitals and setting them on a path towards long-term growth. In every case where NewLight Healthcare has found success, the commitment of local leaders and the community was essential. With every engagement, NewLight always begins by communicating its plans and building community and local leader support.

To learn more about NewLight Healthcare and its approach to helping struggling hospitals grow to success, click here.